Legislators from Oregon and Washington met in Vancouver in an effort to come to some sort of meeting of the minds on the idea of building a new I-5 bridge across the Columbia River. Again.

Maybe if Portland can unbend enough to recognize that Clark County residents don’t want light rail, rather than asserting “No light rail, no bridge. No kidding.” (as both former Portland mayor Sam Adams and Oregon gov. Retread both stated), they might be able to get somewhere. You probably shouldn’t hold your breath, though.

But absent light rail, a new bridge would come in at around $1.5 billion less in cost and would have greater clearance between the river and the structure, making it more amenable to maritime navigation. Common sense tells you that’s the way to go. Unfortunately, in Portland-centric Oregon, you can have any kind of sense you want.

As long as it isn’t common.

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About maxredlines

experience: biology, zoology, psychology. authored/co-authored papers appearing in peer-reviewed scientific journals, as well as numerous professional proceedings. authored articles appearing in computer-oriented publications. featured in publications ranging from books to New Yorker magazine to television.